Dynamically selecting sending and receiving accounts

• US 9,582,788 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dwolla, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dwolla, Inc.
• Inventors: Milne, Benjamin P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Kito R
• Application Number:
  US14/727,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/35
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A computer implemented system for optimizing the transfer of funds from an account holder to an associate is disclosed. The system uses digitally stored logic to identify the geographic location of a first financial institution involved in the transaction. The system dynamically selects from a plurality of financial institutions a second financial institution which is located near the first financial institution to be involved in the transaction. Selecting a second financial institution nearby the first financial institution facilitates the transaction and reduces the time transaction funds are unavailable.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed on one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a fund transfer request from a sender, wherein the fund transfer request requests a fund transfer that transfers a predetermined amount of funds from the sender to a receiver;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, a sender financial account associated with the sender;

wherein the sender financial account is associated with a plurality of holding accounts;

wherein the plurality of holding accounts are associated with a plurality of financial institutions;

wherein every holding account of the plurality of holding accounts is capable of performing the fund transfer;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, a receiver financial account associated with the receiver, wherein the receiver financial account is associated with a receiver financial institution;

based on information obtained from the sender, the one or more computing devices collecting, from one or more sources other than the sender, information required by algorithms, contained in a software system executing on the one or more computing devices, to determine an optimal holding account from among the plurality of holding accounts;

wherein the one or more sources include at least one of;

a database located on a server accessible to the one or more computing devices;

or

computer systems of one or more third-party providers;

wherein the information required by the algorithms and collected by the one or more computing devices includes (a) amount of time to complete the fund transfer using each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts, (b) geographic location associated with each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts, or both (a) and (b);

employing the algorithms, contained in the software system executing on the one or more computing devices, to determine an optimal holding account from among the plurality of holding accounts;

in response to determining the optimal holding account, automatically selecting, using the one or more computing devices, the optimal holding account to be a target holding account to service the fund transfer request; and

transferring, using the one or more computing devices, the predetermined amount of currency associated with the fund transfer request, from the target holding account to the receiver financial account.

2. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1, wherein the one or more selection factors include geographic location associated with each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts.

3. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1, wherein the one or more selection factors include amount of time to complete the fund transfer using each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts.

4. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1, wherein the one or more selection factors include a predetermined characteristic associated with the receiver financial institution.

5. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1, wherein the target holding account is an originating depository institution.

6. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1, further comprising transferring the predetermined amount of currency from the target holding account to the receiver financial account through a financial clearinghouse.

7. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 6, wherein the financial clearinghouse is an automated clearinghouse.

8. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to receiving the fund transfer request, receiving a deposit request to deposit a particular amount of funds;

in response to the deposit request, performing the steps of;

selecting one or more of the plurality of holding accounts based, at least in part, on geographic location of each of the plurality of holding accounts; and

transferring the particular amount of funds to the one or more holding accounts that were selected.

9. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 8 wherein multiple holding accounts are selected, wherein each holding account of the multiple accounts receives a portion of the particular amount of funds.

10. The computer-implemented method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver of claim 1 wherein:

the target holding account is one of multiple target holding accounts that are selected based on the one or more selection factors, and

transferring portions of the predetermined amount from each of the multiple target holding accounts to the receiver financial institution.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performance of a method for transferring funds from a sender to a receiver, performed on one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a fund transfer request from the sender requesting a fund transfer that transfers a predetermined amount of funds from the sender to the receiver;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, a sender financial account associated with the sender, wherein the sender financial account is associated with a plurality of holding accounts, wherein the plurality of holding accounts are associated with a plurality of financial institutions, wherein every holding account of the plurality of holding accounts is capable of performing the fund transfer;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, a receiver financial account associated with the receiver, wherein the receiver financial account is associated with a receiver financial institution;

based on information obtained from the sender, the one or more computing devices collecting, from one or more sources other than the sender, information required by algorithms, contained in a software system executing on the one or more computing devices, to determine an optimal holding account from among the plurality of holding accounts;

wherein the one or more sources include at least one of;

a database located on a server accessible to the one or more computing devices;

or

computer systems of one or more third-party providers;

wherein the information required by the algorithms and collected by the one or more computing devices includes (a) amount of time to complete the fund transfer using each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts, (b) geographic location associated with each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts, or both (a) and (b);

employing the algorithms, contained in the software system executing on the one or more computing devices, to determine an optimal holding account from among the plurality of holding accounts;

in response to determining the optimal holding account, automatically selecting, using the one or more computing devices, the optimal holding account to be a target holding account to service the fund transfer request; and

transferring, using the one or more computing devices, the predetermined amount of currency associated with the fund transfer request, from the target holding account to the receiver financial account.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the one or more selection factors include geographic location associated with each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the one or more selection factors include amount of time to complete the fund transfer using each holding account of the plurality of holding accounts.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the one or more selection factors include a predetermined characteristic associated with the receiver financial institution.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the target holding account is an originating depository institution.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises transferring the predetermined amount of currency from the target holding account to the receiver financial account through a financial clearinghouse.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the financial clearinghouse is an automated clearinghouse.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises:

prior to receiving the fund transfer request, receiving a deposit request to deposit a particular amount of funds;

in response to the deposit request, performing the steps of;

selecting one or more of the plurality of holding accounts based, at least in part, on geographic location of each of the plurality of holding accounts; and

transferring the particular amount of funds to the one or more holding accounts that were selected.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 wherein multiple holding accounts are selected, wherein each holding account of the multiple accounts receives a portion of the particular amount of funds.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein:

the target holding account is one of multiple target holding accounts that are selected based on the one or more selection factors, and

transferring portions of the predetermined amount from each of the multiple target holding accounts to the receiver financial institution.